The sea outside Loguetown was chaos wrapped in gunpowder and audacity.
A Marine battleship, massive, pristine, and absolutely not supposed to be in pirate hands, was creaking under the weight of a dozen yelling men in mismatched coats and hats.
"Hoist the mainsail! Pull the other rope- no, the other other rope, you idiots!" Cabaji barked from the helm, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing.
Mohji, meanwhile, stood at the bow, one hand dramatically raised as Richie the lion roared beside him. "Behold! The power of the Buggy Pirates!"
A sailor, tied up near the railing, groaned. "You maniacs have no idea how to steer this ship, do you?"
Mohji's grin didn't falter. "Of course we do! ...Right, Cabaji?"
Cabaji yanked another line, and a sail immediately ripped loose from its hook, slapping into his face. "We'll figure it out as we go!"
The deckhands, those who weren't unconscious Marines, scrambled like mad, pulling ropes, spinning the wheel, and nearly crashing into the docks twice before the tide mercifully carried them out.
And then-
Boom.
The first cannon fired.
The cannonball slammed into another Marine ship still anchored nearby, splintering its side in a spray of smoke and flame.
Mohji whooped. "Ha! Did you see that? Direct hit!"
"That was accidental!" Cabaji yelled, trying to wrestle control of the wheel from two terrified pirates.
"Then accidentally do it again!" Mohji shouted, waving his hand toward the dock. "Fire! Fire everything!"
Dozens of cannonballs rained down on Loguetown's port, smashing into supply crates, masts, and barracks.
The air was filled with fire and confusion. The Marines onshore scrambled, shouting for reinforcements, as the massive ship slowly drifted farther from reach.
Tashigi, sword drawn, sprinted down the pier, pony-tail whipping in the wind. "Stop right there!"
She jumped from boat to boat, displaying some rather impressive acrobatic skills, but she was not about to go uncontested.
Cabaji leapt lightly from the deck of the stolen ship to meet her, landing on the railing in perfect balance, spinning one of his blades in a flourish. "Ah, you must be Smoker's lackey... Capt'n spoke of ya~"
Her boots hit wood with a sharp thud. "You attack and commander a marine ship?! You think I'll let you get away with that?!"
Cabaji tilted his head, purple hair catching the sunlight, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. "Let? Girl, I'm a performer, not a soldier. We don't ask permission..."
And then he lunged, stopping her advance right as she stepped onto the head of a nearby mast.
Tashigi was ready for it. Their blades met with a clean, echoing clang, sparks snapping between them.
Cabaji's twin sabers struck in alternating rhythms, juggling between hands as he weaved and ducked with acrobat precision.
Tashigi kept her footing on the sails of a nearby ship. , parrying in tight arcs, eyes locked, her movements precise, by the book, disciplined.
Cabaji's grin widened. "Ahh, textbook Marine swordsmanship! Predictable~ but beautiful in its own way."
He twisted his body, using a one-handed cartwheel to slip past her guard, his other blade flashing downward toward her exposed shoulder.
But she spun with him, fluid and reactive, and their swords screeched as they crossed mid-turn. The force sent Cabaji sliding back on his heels,,were it not for his acrobatic background, he surely would've lost his balance and fallen off the sails.
For a heartbeat, both paused. The dock crackled with gunfire and distant cannon thunder, but in that moment, it was just them—the showman and the soldier.
Cabaji chuckled softly. "You're certainly stronger than Captain Buggy claimed you'd be..."
Tashigi exhaled through her nose, calm and unshaken. "And you've wasted your talents in a life of crime..."
That one hit deeper than she knew.
Cabaji's smile faltered, just slightly, before returning sharper. "I know right? But crime is fun, isn't it?"
He attacked again, faster this time. His blades moved in blurred arcs, cutting air in crescents of silver. Tashigi was forced back step by step, deflecting, dodging, rolling under one strike only to rise into another.
Cabaji kicked off the mast, flipping high over her head. He threw one saber down like a spear; she parried it upward, the clash ringing through the pier-
-but when she looked up, Cabaji was gone.
Her eyes flicked sideways just in time to block his other blade, he'd rebounded midair off a sailor that had just been thrown off the ship they were stealing..
He came striking from above.
Steel shrieked. The sheer force of his acrobat's momentum sent her sliding backward across the dock.
Tashigi grimaced, holding her ground. "You fight like a circus act!"
Cabaji grinned, spinning both blades before settling into a new stance. "Thank you."
Then, for a moment, just a brief, unguarded second, his tone changed, softer, more serious. "But I'll tell you something, girl. Every circus act learns to balance on a knife's edge eventually."
He dashed forward. Their blades met again, one, two, three strikes in rapid succession, neither gaining ground. Cabaji's performance flair now carried precision, purpose; every spin, every flip, was measured, controlled.
And for a flicker of time, Tashigi could tell, he wasn't just fighting to win. He was fighting to prove himself somehow.
The next exchange ended in a deadlock, their blades pressing against each other, eyes locked.
Tashigi's breathing was sharp but steady. "You could've been a great man..."
Cabaji smirked, pushing off with a twirl. "Darling, I already am."
That's when Mohji struck.
A dull thunk rang out as the butt of a rifle met the back of Tashigi's head. Her sword slipped from her fingers, fallonh onto the ship below them.
Cabaji caught her before she fell, lowering her gently onto the wooden head of the mady, eyes briefly thoughtful.
Mohji blinked. "Huh. You didn't let her hit the planks."
Cabaji shrugged, twirling his blade back into its sheath. "Sometimes the audience deserves respect, even in defeat."
He rose, the flash of sentiment gone as quickly as it came, replaced with a sly grin. "Now move it. We've got a ship to steal."
Mohji growled like an animal. "Huh? Who are you to order me around you dancing cabbage?!!"
Cabaji smirked. "That's Vice-Captain 'dancing cabbage' to you."
And with that, the two pirates ran back to the rail, their stolen ship creaking free of the pier, the roar of cannonfire already echoing behind them.
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Back in the city…
Buggy was still half-dangling from Smoker's grip, the sea-stone baton pressed against his chest, when the first cannon sounded.
Boom.
Both men froze.
Then another.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The ground trembled beneath them.
Smoker's head snapped toward the horizon, where the faint outline of a Marine battleship was turning its guns on the harbor.
"What the hell-?"
Buggy's grin crawled back onto his face like it had never left. "Heh… sounds like my boys pulled it off."
Smoker's eyes widened slightly. "Pulled what off?"
Buggy's hand shot upward. In the briefest instant of distraction, his fingers closed around the jitte. The smaller sea-stone handle brushed against Smoker's wrist.
The effect was instant.
Smoker's form flickered, the smoke collapsing into flesh and blood for half a second.
And that was all Buggy needed.
He slammed his fist straight into the Marine's face.
Blood flew. Smoker staggered back, grip loosening, the jitte clattering against the ground.
Buggy's laughter rang through the alley, unrestrained and triumphant. "Who would've thought those bastards could actually pull it off!?~"
He kicked off the ground, limbs scattering again, propelling himself into the sky in a dozen pieces. The cannonfire's rhythm beat like a drum beneath him, guiding him toward the coast.
Behind him, Smoker wiped his nose, glaring up at the retreating shape. "You're not getting away that easily."
He launched himself upward in a burst of white mist, cutting through the rooftops, following the trail of laughter.
Buggy glanced back mid-flight, grin wide. "Persistent as ever!"
But the sight waiting for both of them on the horizon was madness, smoke and flame curling from the docks as the stolen Marine battleship carved a path to open sea.
"Beautiful," Buggy muttered under his breath. "Absolutely beautiful."
Smoker's voice boomed from behind. "You think this is funny? You're attacking your own kind! You think pirates sailing the grand line won't hunt you down when they hear of this?"
Buggy turned midair, flying backward, arms spread wide. "Oh, please! The only thing sacred about this town is how boring it is! Roger's legacy? Ha! His grave's elsewhere! This place is just a monument to Marine stupidity!~"
Smoker surged forward, swinging his jitte again. "Then I'll bury you right here, clown."
Buggy twisted, narrowly avoiding the strike, a manic laugh bubbling from his throat. "Sorry, can't stay! Got a new ship to break in!"
He turned and rocketed toward the sea.
Smoker followed, but as the cannonfire intensified, he hesitated. A flaming projectile tore through a row of buildings, setting the rooftops ablaze. Civilians screamed below.
"Damn it," he growled, halting midair.
He extended both arms, his smoke spreading outward in a vast wave, smothering the fires, absorbing the ash and sparks until the streets below began to clear.
When the smoke finally settled, the sky was empty.
Buggy was gone.
Out at sea, the stolen Marine battleship grew smaller, the Jolly Roger hastily painted over its world government flag fluttering in the wind.
Buggy landed lightly on the deck a few minutes later, dusting himself off as his crew erupted into cheers.
"Captain!" Mohji yelled. "We did it! We actually did it!"
Buggy threw his arms wide, laughing like a madman. "Of course we did! Did you doubt me!?"
Cabaji coughed. "Honestly? Yes."
Buggy ignored him, striding to the edge of the deck, watching the horizon as the island faded behind them.
"Reverse Mountain's a fool's climb," he muttered, a sharp glint in his eyes. "We're taking the Calm Belt! Roger conquered the Grand Line starting from that mountain, we will pave our own path!"
The wind carried his laughter across the waves, echoing over the chaos they'd left behind.
Back in Loguetown, Smoker stood on the highest rooftop, the city's smoke mingling with his own. He clenched his fist around the jitte's hilt, jaw tight.
"That clown… he's no ordinary pirate, he'll become something troublesome... Now, how do I explain all this to HQ?"
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And somewhere beyond the smoke and fire, Buggy the Clown grinned into the salt air of the sea, the stolen Marine battleship cutting clean through the dawn.
"Next stop," he whispered, eyes gleaming with mischief and madness, "Paradise."